Frozen Few

The weather continues to get the better of us. Catherine and I just checked the power boats, and although they seem fine, they are still locked in 3 to 4 inches of ice. There are small patches of open water tantalizingly close to the docks, and larger expanses of open water out in the bay, but no way to get from here to there. So no racing on March 1.

Nope, we're not going to sail today.

I stopped at the club and took a walk out on the docks. The boats are all fine, but there is no way that any of the powerboats are moving. The ice around the powerboats is about 3 inches thick, and they don't rock when you step onboard. Beyond the docks there is a band of open water filled with waterfoul paddling vigorously, whether to keep the water open or to stay warm I'm not sure.

There is a little bit of dock damage from the ice. I took some photos which you can see at

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A15Uzl7VvAf4k

Although the weather looks OK for sailing tomorrow (Well, yes, the wind is light and it supposed to rain, but when has that stopped us?), the continuing concern is the ice in the bay. A quick look from the club parking lot this afternoon sure looked like there was ice all the way to East Providence.

If there's open water and a way to get to it, then we'll try to sail. But if we're locked in ice, we'll have to cancel.

I'll send another email in the morning with a decision. Keep a look out for that message.

There will be no frostbite racing today. There is a windchill advisory and the windchill is forecast to be below 0°F. Wind gusts are forecast over 40 knots and are currently 26 knots at the Providence River buoy. And yesterday Catherine observed ice across the full width of the bay.

Enjoy your cocoa.